Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said Americans must reconsider doing business with China after Beijing's COVID-19 disaster.
Rubio made his comments in a column for the New York Post on Thursday.
"Beijing reversed its dystopian zero-COVID policy amid mass protests after three years of shuttering homes, businesses and social gatherings," Rubio said. "The human cost of those crippling lockdowns was immense, both in China and across our interconnected globe. But news of the long-awaited reversal had investors and supply-chain managers smiling. Markets rose. And for a brief moment, there was optimism that things were going to be 'back to normal.' Then reality struck.
"China is struggling to handle a massive surge in coronavirus cases, Its 'fantastic' homegrown vaccines an obvious failure. Hospitals are overwhelmed. Medical personnel are infected. Citizens are traumatized. And the government's response — at least for now — is to tell infected people to go to work. The unpredictability is hard to comprehend, and it could all change course again if conditions worsen."
Rubio noted that if and when that happens it will have a detrimental impact on the U.S. economy. He said prices will climb and store shelves will be emptier.
"It once may have been easy to turn a blind eye to Beijing's atrocities, but not anymore — things are changing in America, too," Rubio said. "Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are increasingly skeptical of companies with connections to the Chinese Communist Party. And that means every firm operating in China because there are no limits to Beijing's rule inside those borders. The result is that hundreds of U.S. businesses are coming into Washington's crosshairs. In other words, depending on China is bad for your country and bad for your business.
"Now is the time for American companies to do what's right for their staff, their shareholders and their country. Nothing good or profitable will come from doing the opposite."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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